Sterling barely had a moment to voice a protest before Harley was half pushing him out of her apartment with a determined insistence to 'pack his shit'. Admittedly, the blue-eyed boy was almost...astounded to find himself standing outside of Harley apartment - boxless, in fact. A soft chuckle left his lips as he reached up, running his hand through his dark, ebony locks. He had certainly not anticipated a whirlwind trip in his future when he'd first knocked on her door and yet...with their shared problems of late, Sterling found himself entirely inclined to allow himself to be swept up in the whirlwind that was his closest friend. Besides, he reasoned, it had been some time since the pair had spent any significant time together and Harley certainly seemed like she had things...worse than Sterling's continually disappointing love life. "What the hell." He murmured softly to himself as he made his way back towards his own apartment. "Fid, we're going on vacation." The warlock announced to his avian companion as he stepped back into his living room. The osprey merely eyed him with those intelligent golden irises, the female bird following him throughout his flat as he placed several nights worth of clothing into a duffle bag.

It hardly took long, admittedly, before both man and bird were stepping out onto the sidewalk - Harley already tossing several 'necessities' for Ace in the back of her cherished vehicle. Without even a question at their intended destination, Sterling flopped into the passenger seat - trusting Harley with the details of her makeshift scheme. The very last thing he expected, however, was to find himself eying the ever approaching Ark as they sped closer and closer towards the hulking silhouette of the large cargo ship. His brow rose as Harley drove ever closer, his crystalline gaze shifted in an unspoken question towards the woman at his side. After all, the ship was the very epicenter of all both of them had been trying to avoid! The vehicle halted in the parking lot before Harley got out with some vague explanation of someone owing her a favor. Oh the questions he had and yet, now hardly seemed the time to ask after them as the woman piled her arms with Ace's favorite things. A soft breath left Sterling's lips, the man leaned back into the leather seat as he watched the spitfire's feminine figure disappear into the depths of the dingy ship.

For several silent, tense moments, Sterling settled upon watching his familiar as she dove across the oceanic waves she was so made for, her unique predatory cries filling the air mongst the sound of seagulls and crows. A soft sigh left his lips and yet, before he could get too comfortable in the tranquil silence, Harley was already racing back towards the vehicle with someone half heartedly in her wake. Any questions Sterling might have had, however, were silenced immediately as Harley threw the car into drive, the wheels screeching as she slammed her foot on the gas. His gaze drifted towards the side mirror, the man glancing back towards the fleeting silhouette of the ship. It was Harley's comment of Fiducia that dragged his brightly colored gaze away from the Ark, his eyes immediately seeking out the increasingly distant bird. "Yeah, kind of." Sterling answered, holding his arm out the window for the bird in a universal sign she understood well. With a screech, the bird dove, her claws outstretched as she sought to keep up with the now slowing vehicle. It hardly took long, however, for Fiducia to find purchase on his arm, the warlock wincing ever so slightly at the tightness of her talons wrapping around his arm. He said nothing of it, however, as he let the osprey into the back of the vehicle, the female ruffling her feathers in the process as she settled on the handles of his bag.

Sterling had only just resettled within his seat when Harley's innocent jest prompted an almost baffled look from the warlock. There was, admittedly, many times within the pair's relationship where Harley's ever rambunctious demeanor left the steadier, quieter man entirely in the dust and yet, Sterling seemed as unperturbed as always at the spitfire's antics. Rather, he merely regarded those 'sage words' with a roll of his eyes as he began to bring up his maps app on his phone. It was almost laughable, really, the idea that Henry might attempt to contact him when Sterling was quite certain his ex boyfriend was probably too busy spending his time in another woman's arms. Ironic as it was. Harley's scoff was met with a small snort of his own as his fingers deftly entered their destination in his phone. "None taken." He muttered, only to declare the next right the first step out of town.

Effortlessly, Sterling fell into the role of navigator, the pair easily getting lost in their side conversations once they'd hit the highway. It was distinctly nice to put those past heartaches behind him, Henry quickly becoming the last thing on his mind as Harley prattled on. The day quickly seemed to progress without Sterling's notice, the man far more comfortable within that seat then he had been in weeks and soon, he found himself nodding off, his head leaning heavily against the passenger door. For days now, sleep had managed to elude the man. Even despite the years that had passed since his life in New York, Sterling still found the darkness a point of endless terror - combined with Henry's absence and betrayal, his mind and his nervous failed to settle enough to provide the warlock any reprieve. Here...with Harley...he was gifted a rare sense of peace, one his body was keen to take advantage of as he slept soundly in the embrace of the speeding vehicle.

He was entirely unaware of that moment the car began to slow, the bright lights of the gas station now that the sun had set hardly even perturbed him as Harley left him in search of adequate snacks. It wasn't until that gentle prod and feminine voice echoed through the nothingness of his dreamless sleep that Sterling found himself roused, his eyelashes fluttering over those bright blue eyes. For one, almost confused moment, the man looked up at Harley, his gaze slowly taking in his surroundings as he sat up with a yawn. It took him a moment to make sense of her words before the warlock nodded, stretching out his figure in the process. He half stumbled out of the passenger seat, holding that sitting position for so long hardly kind upon his figure and yet, he said little of it as he traded spots with Harley. The were's sarcastic lit prompted a snort from his nose as Sterling settled in the driver's seat. "Oh yeah, you're a real Michelin star." He commented as he reached for the drink in the cupholder, his fingers easily popping open the can.

Sterling took a hearty drink of the beverage before his attention turned to the vehicle so awaiting him. His hands rested gently upon the steering wheel as he shifted the vehicle into drive, the warlock quickly adjusting to the vehicle's peculiarities as he led them out back onto the highway. He was hardly oblivious of the darkness that so pressed in on him in the nothingness of California's desert, the light from the radio proving some measure of comfort as those tunes filled the vehicle. Fiducia fluttered to the shoulder of the driver's seat, keeping him company as he cruised throughout the remaining evening hours and well into sunrise. Sterling was well aware of the almost vulnerable manner in which Harley seemed to hold herself, speaking volumes of the monsters she had refused to speak of. The warlock was more than willing to allow her to sleep, however, his own thoughts drifting to far more practical matters, such as his future in Sacrosanct and the new job he would need to get now that the Bakery was closing. It was only Harley's abrupt start, hours later, that drew Sterling from his thoughts as he glanced over at the woman beside him. Traffic had finally begun to pick up now that they were closer towards the bustling cities of the East coast, the vehicle's once easy cruise slowing to a crawl. "Uh....a long while. We're getting close to Santa Barbara though, if you want to find us a motel or something."

STERLING TENEMBRAGE